Target employees protest midnight opening on Black Friday

A Target employee is protesting the Minneapolis-based retailer's decision to open its doors at midnight on Thanksgiving, saying the demand on its employees is going a step too far.

Target said it would open its doors five hours earlier this year for Black Friday shoppers eager to hunt for discounted gifts. But Target employee Anthony Hardwick says that's unfair to employees who want to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families.

More than 6,700 people have signed his petition on advocacy website Change.org, calling for Target to reverse its decision. Hardwick, who works for Target in Nebraska, hopes to get 50,000 signatures.

"With the midnight opening, employees like myself will have to leave for work right in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner," Hardwick said in a statement. "We don't mind hard work, but cutting into our holidays is a step too far."

Target is among several retailers that plan to open at midnight on Thanksgiving, including the Mall of America and Macy's. Target said it is opening earlier because guests have said it wants the retailer to be their first stop for Black Friday shopping.

In Denver, Target is opening its 29 stores from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. According to a news release, this test in the Denver area will help the retailer decide whether to open in other markets on future Thanksgivings.

Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder said the retailer will pay employees who work on Thanksgiving with holiday pay and its store leaders each year work with employees to accommodate scheduling needs.

"Target cares about the well-being of our team members throughout the year," Snyder said.

by Anonymous

reply 189

11/23/2012

Target could give a rat's ass about their employees. Did you enjoy your .20 cents an hour pay raise?

Of course, TGT is better than Walmart...that's another subject.

by Anonymous

reply 1

11/15/2011

Wonder how long Anthony Hardwick will be employed at Target?

by Anonymous

reply 2

11/15/2011

When I was young and worked at big box shitholes, I used to volunteer to work the holidays stocking shelves. With time and a half, it was almost like getting a livable wage for once.

by Anonymous

reply 3

11/15/2011

[quote] I suppose it's better than not having a job at all.

I'm SO fucking sick of hearing that shit. No, it's not better than not having a job at all. This is how we got in the mess we're in in the first place.

by Anonymous

reply 5

11/15/2011

[quote] Ok I understand the protest but really how is going to work at 12:00 am cutting into your dinner. Most people eat holiday meals early like around 3:00. Am I missing something???

They will likely be required to be at work far earlier than midnight when the store opens, R6. And some do not eat dinner until dinner time.

by Anonymous

reply 7

11/15/2011

Uh, YAH. YOU ARE MISSING SOMETHING, R6.

This is disgusting. The Holiday season is really the worst season of the year. The fact that employees are forced to come in at midnight after Thanksgiving is pathetic, and so are the filthy fucking consumers who even shop at that hour.

And r6 sees nothing wrong with this. Fuck you, cuntbreath.

by Anonymous

reply 8

11/15/2011

R6, are you aware that many people don't eat Thanksgiving dinner in their own homes? I know a lot of people who go out of town to visit with family and friends.

by Anonymous

reply 9

11/15/2011

[quote]Ok I understand the protest but really how is going to work at 12:00 am cutting into your dinner. Most people eat holiday meals early like around 3:00. Am I missing something???

EMPLOYEES HAVE TO BE THERE HOURS BEFORE OPENING TO SET UP THE DISPLAYS AND PUT OUT PRODUCT.

by Anonymous

reply 10

11/15/2011

This policy interferes with the God-given right to a Thanksgiving tryptophan food coma.

by Anonymous

reply 11

11/15/2011

If only that fucking tryptophan would kick in.

I say the Target employees should be given tranquilizer guns. Shoot the stampede as they break down the doors.

by Anonymous

reply 12

11/15/2011

What I am linking to is a blog of sorts where Target employees vent.

It has been around for a rather long while now.

Read some of it if you want to. Keep in mind that Target gives hourly employees once a year raises for under .20 cents or so.

Target sucks. I really think they do.

by Anonymous

reply 13

11/15/2011

R6, the workers are probably required to be at work an hour or two before the shift starts, and depending on their commute they'd have to get ready to go to work a few hours before. So, yeah, this cuts into their evening. Not to mention, if they're expected to work all nigh, they'll want to get some sleep during the day. It's fucked up.

by Anonymous

reply 15

11/15/2011

[quote] Cry me a fucking river. It's a JOB bitch, and there are plenty who would be happy tp take your place.

Then they're as stupid as you are, R14.

by Anonymous

reply 16

11/15/2011

I'm working on turkey day and making double time and a half.

by Anonymous

reply 17

11/15/2011

R14 =

by Anonymous

reply 19

11/15/2011

That's assuming they're at their own homes and not hours away, R18.

by Anonymous

reply 21

11/15/2011

[quote] Ok I understand the protest but really how is going to work at 12:00 am cutting into your dinner. Most people eat holiday meals early like around 3:00. Am I missing something???

They can't get shit-faced drunk while watching football all day.

by Anonymous

reply 23

11/15/2011

[quote]Yet you wonder why the Chinese are beating us in everything.

Right, we should emulate their business model.

WTF do you do for a living that you have such a callous and apathetic attitude towards your fellow citizens?

by Anonymous

reply 24

11/15/2011

I am still boycotting Target due to their funding of anti-gay organizations. However, my response to all of this Midnight Madness and bargain stampedes is to boycott shopping at any of these types of stores, even online.

by Anonymous

reply 25

11/15/2011

While I am empathetic to the employees, this really makes NO difference to me as I am proud to say I have not shopped at target since the donation revelation/boycott began - and don't plan to start.

by Anonymous

reply 27

11/15/2011

Where did you get 9pm? Did you misread "there" as "three"? Try 6 or 7. It takes a long time to get sales set up for Black Friday.

by Anonymous

reply 28

11/15/2011

[quote]While I am empathetic to the employees, this really makes NO difference to me as I am proud to say I have not shopped at target since the donation revelation/boycott began - and don't plan to start.

Well, as long as it makes no difference to you...

by Anonymous

reply 29

11/15/2011

Aren't we gay people boycotting Target?

by Anonymous

reply 31

11/15/2011

It isn't even just going to work on a holiday evening; it is THIS evening, preparing for the crazed shopping wolverines who have been known to KILL for their hoard.

by Anonymous

reply 32

11/15/2011

[quote]It takes a long time to get sales set up for Black Friday.

Yes, they have to put out the 10 TVs they have at the super-duper-special Black Friday price.

by Anonymous

reply 33

11/15/2011

R22 sounds like a FReeper shitstain.

by Anonymous

reply 34

11/15/2011

As a former Target manager, I can tell you it sucks. The company used to niche itself away from Wal-Mart, but it's getting closer and closer each year. Here's the rough thing, especially for the folks in the Denver "test" market. 29 stores are open Thanksgiving Day from 8am-2pm. That means you're up at 6:30 or 7:00 am for work. If you're lucky, you're out by 2:15 or 2:30 and home by 3:00. With a midnight opening, many folks are right back to work at 9:00. Black Friday prep begins about 3 hours prior to opening. Not only does it involve staging product on both the sales floor and the backroom, but Target generally runs two national ads that week. One runs from Sunday to Wednesday, and the Black Friday ad runs two days. So you've got to make sure all the signs from the first ad are down, and then get all the signs from the second ad up in a very narrow time frame.

An already hectic week for leaders and team members is now even worse. You've now got about a five hour window at home to enjoy time with the family. If you're the primary cook in the household, forget about it. You must now rely upon someone else. And you can pretty much forget about any sleep. Not to mention Black Friday draws out hoards of really annoying, loud, ghetto shoppers. It makes for a frustrating time. Then there's the long slog to Christmas Eve. Then you get one day of rest followed by the insanity of the Day after Christmas clearance event.

If you're in a big box in early January, take a look at the employees' faces. Many will look pretty much like they crawled out of coffins. As an earlier poster mentioned, it's definitely the nature of the beast. Yep, I'm glad I'm out of that industry!

by Anonymous

reply 35

11/15/2011

As somebody who is grateful to have his shit retail job, for those of you assholes who have never worked this kind of job just SHUT THE FUCK UP.

I am sick of you entitled assholes saying shit like these people should be happy they have these jobs. I can only wish you assholes having to experience working for next to nothing, under shitty conditions and having to make yourself available to these scumbag employers who want you to be available to their beck and call 24/7 seven days a week so they can sell their overpriced crap made in China that is responsible for putting hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work.

I'm sure non of you entitled asshole have any idea what it's like to have to be on your feet for 8 hours, unable to go to the rest room when the need calls and having to wait on shitheads like yourself.

When I was younger, we used to have a lot more holidays off. We've slowly lost many of them. These corporations keep taking and taking and workers are getting less and less. It's got to end somewhere. Now they want to take even more time from their employees so assholes can spend more time shopping, buying shit they don't need for people who mean nothing to them.

FUCK TARGET

by Anonymous

reply 36

11/15/2011

R36, I hope you have medical insurance.

by Anonymous

reply 37

11/15/2011

Oh and screw you too R22.

I'm sure the only sad part of this to you is that crappy retail jobs can't be outsourced directly to Third World Countries. That would show American workers what they're worth!

by Anonymous

reply 39

11/15/2011

R37, are you that clueless. Christmas retail jobs don't provide health insurance. A very large majority of regular retail jobs don't provide health insurance since they won't schedule people full time while making them have a totally open schedule. Hours can be added or reduced at the retailers whim.

Yes, I am so grateful to be working like this. I should count my blessings. FUCK YOU.

by Anonymous

reply 40

11/15/2011

The ones who come in at 6pm to do the set up -- are they getting double time for having to work on a holiday?

by Anonymous

reply 41

11/15/2011

R41, no.

by Anonymous

reply 42

11/15/2011

At my job we get Thanksgiving off but have to make up for it by working Saturday. Fuck that.

by Anonymous

reply 43

11/15/2011

And some of you are fucking clueless. Retailers like Target don't pay overtime. They don't give part-time people holiday pay.

Many retailers no longer even offer an employee discount to Christmas help which was one of t he few perks.

by Anonymous

reply 44

11/15/2011

R42, really? Why not?

by Anonymous

reply 45

11/15/2011

[quote] At my job we get Thanksgiving off but have to make up for it by working Saturday. Fuck that.

I'd tell my employer to shove it.

by Anonymous

reply 47

11/15/2011

I won't step foot in a retail store on Black Friday. I don't understand the whole thing. Why do people feel they have to shop on that one day? I do almost all Christmas shopping online now.

by Anonymous

reply 48

11/15/2011

[quote]I'd tell my employer to shove it.

And move back in with your parents, right?

by Anonymous

reply 49

11/15/2011

No, Fuck YOU R46.

I hope YOU lose YOUR job on Christmas Eve.

by Anonymous

reply 50

11/15/2011

Black Friday has gotten ridiculous.

Seven am Friday morning should be the earliest they are allowed to be open. Nothing earlier than that.

And if you have ever worked in the retail business, you know the sales will be better in the weeks to come. Often they jack the prices up to begin with, so when they do their "discounts" it looks like a good deal.

by Anonymous

reply 51

11/15/2011

I signed that petition. Target and others of the same ilk piss me off when they expect their low paid employees to work on a holiday like Thanksgiving. This is the one time of the year many families are able to get together and spend time with each other. I work in healthcare and I expect to work holidays, but I sure as hell don't expect Target employees to work Thanksgiving morning and turn around and work again starting at 9-10pm. Fuck you, Target.

by Anonymous

reply 52

11/15/2011

There is absolutely no reason why any store needs to open at midnight on Black Friday.

People shopped for years without all this bullshit.

It's nothing but corporate greed, pure and simple.

by Anonymous

reply 53

11/15/2011

Target gives .20/hr raises? Well damn, that's more than I've gotten working for Citibank in the last 3 years.

I think most of the assholes here are missing the point when it comes to the midnight shopping. There is nothing that can be bought at midnight that couldn't just as easily have been bought at 7 or 8 am. As the former mgr said, they've already started testing the idea of being open on Thanksgiving. It's pure greed and complete lack of respect for the peons who make them rich.

by Anonymous

reply 54

11/15/2011

[quote]Target gives .20/hr raises?

That is the max for an hourly employee. It is usually well under twenty cents.

They only do employee evaluations once a year.

And Target does not pay over time nor time in a half at all to any of its hourly employees.

by Anonymous

reply 55

11/15/2011

Thanksgiving at the DL house...

[quote]Fuck you, cuntbreath.

[quote]It's a JOB bitch,

[quote]So asshole

[quote]the fucking sick freepers on this thread.

[quote]Unsympathetic assholes

[quote]FReeper shitstain.

[qutoe]you assholes

[qutoe]SHUT THE FUCK UP

[quote]entitled assholes

[quote]you assholes

[quote]entitled assholes

[quote]shitheads like yourself.

[qutoe]go fuck yourself times ten.

[quote]Morons like you

[quote]Oh and screw you too

[quote]FUCK YOU.

[quote]No, Fuck YOU

[quote]the assholes here

by Anonymous

reply 56

11/15/2011

Try half time for overtime, it's common and not discussed.

by Anonymous

reply 57

11/15/2011

No, R49. I own house free and clear. And my father doesn't live with me, and my mother is deceased.

Any other questions, cupcake?

I'd still tell my employer to shove it. I could get by just fine without a job.

by Anonymous

reply 58

11/15/2011

Plus, on top of everything else, the "deals" are now pretty shoddfy, and in no way worth interrupted holidays, midnight openings, and stampedes.

by Anonymous

reply 59

11/15/2011

these retail stores stick it to employees whenever they can. I hope the person who started this petition gets fired so he can sue their asses off in court. He better document every little thing because Target will go after him.

I think the employees should stick to their guns. Where do you draw the line? I wish shoppers would support them by not shopping until the early morning hours.

by Anonymous

reply 60

11/15/2011

I love you R56

by Anonymous

reply 62

11/15/2011

Anthony Hardwick, who is not scheduled to work Thanksgiving night, is kind of cute.

Hasn't the Black Friday thing gotten out of hand? It's so fucking stupid. I can't believe how many people actually are there so early. I guess with Target this year the shoppers don't have to get up early, they can just stay up.

If this is all about getting shopper into a particular store, one-upping the competition, why not just have Black Wednesday, while every other store is waiting for Friday.

As to the Target employee, that sucks. I hope they at least had ample notice. If their temp employees who were told beforehand, then big deal, they walked in with eyes wide open, but if it was a surprise to permanent employees, it's really lame.

by Anonymous

reply 67

11/15/2011

r14 = Dick Cheney

by Anonymous

reply 69

11/15/2011

Am friends wonder why I stopped celebrating the holidays. The only thing it's about is buying shit. And now greedy corporations want to take a way the holiday where people take to express their thanks.

It's bad enough that stores put out their Christmas shit at Halloween. They now want to force their employees to work in the middle of the night to sell a few more goods made in China.

Give it a few years and the malls will start putting out the Christams stuff as soon as back to school sales are over.

by Anonymous

reply 70

11/15/2011

R6 and R18,

You need to get yourself a life.

by Anonymous

reply 71

11/15/2011

Fuck, I have to work on Thanksgiving. I have to cook a huge meal for 17 people in my screwed up family. Is there a petition I can sign?

by Anonymous

reply 73

11/15/2011

R72, the biggest difference between the four groups you named (doctors, nurses, cops, fireman [sic]) is they are paid a living wage. Target employees are not.

by Anonymous

reply 74

11/15/2011

Dear asshole at R72: Doctors, nurses, cops and firemen (and the plural is firemen, you fucking idiot) will, in all probability, will be compensated for their time by being paid holiday pay, or time and 1/2 or double time for working a holiday. Especially cops and firemen, who are mostly unionized.

You truly are an asshole and don't know what the fuck you are talking about.

And while I'm on a rant, if Faux News and Bill O'Liely want to talk about the destruction of Christmas, they can start with Target and Walmart and Macy's and all these other dumb ass stores for opening on holidays and starting the consumer madness known as Christmas unnecessarily early.

by Anonymous

reply 75

11/15/2011

R72, the first one to complain about unions but now crowing that members of them are paid well to work on holidays unlike the non-unionized workers of Target.

The one thing I do agree with Faux News about is the destruction of Xmas because now it has zero to do with Christ. Let's just rename it Buy More Chinese Shit Day because that's what it is.

by Anonymous

reply 76

11/15/2011

R75 You're the one who doesn't know what you're talking about. Take your foot out of your mouth and read exactly what the employees are protesting. It's not about money, it's about having to leave their Thanksgiving dinner to go work. And BTW, Target is paying the employees who work that night holiday pay, which is usually time and a half.

by Anonymous

reply 77

11/15/2011

Massachusetts is using its ancient blue laws to stop Thanksgiving retail.

by Anonymous

reply 78

11/15/2011

This is why America sucks. Europeans get 3 times the vacation time and are seldom expected to work menial jobs like retail on a holiday.

No one needs to shop at midnight after Thanksgiving.

There are plenty of days in the year to shop.

by Anonymous

reply 79

11/15/2011

[quote]Oh, boo hoo. If someone working in retail is crying over having to work one night out of the year, then they should be glad that they are not waiting tables for a living and working until 2 a.m. or cleaning other people's filthy houses.

Oh sweetie, I can tell you've never worked in retail, especially at Target. I worked in guest services for a huge Target store for about three years. We NEVER left work before 2am in December, and I have cleaned plenty of shitty bathrooms. Black Friday isn't bad, they have every employee they can find working on the weekend after Thanksgiving, it makes everything much easier. It is the days in mid December and back to school season that are nightmares. People are coming at you from all directions, cursing you out, phones are ringing off the hook, carts and carts and carts and carts of merchandise to go through. If Target employees want the whole Thanksgiving Day off, they should get it.

by Anonymous

reply 80

11/15/2011

^^That's because they actually have TIME to shop and run errands and that sort of thing.

by Anonymous

reply 81

11/15/2011

"It's bad enough that stores put out their Christmas shit at Halloween."

If only they waited that long--Xmas decorations, trees & cards were available in late September.

by Anonymous

reply 82

11/15/2011

[quote]^^That's because they actually have TIME to shop and run errands and that sort of thing.

Who?

by Anonymous

reply 84

11/15/2011

"the customers are an equal part of the problem."

Sort of. The retailers create the demand by offering limited bargains in the opening hours. This in turn fuels consumer participation in this idiotic ritual, but given the economy, I couldn't fault many people for trying to save as much money as possible.

by Anonymous

reply 85

11/15/2011

There isn't the slightest chance I'd shop at these shitholes that treat their workers like this...unfortunately I'm not the demographic, becaause I wouldn't do this shit on Friday either.

But I can file it away to avoid them later.

by Anonymous

reply 87

11/15/2011

R86, this is crossing a line into servitude.

And before you bite, I work a 9-5.

by Anonymous

reply 88

11/15/2011

"Plus when you fill out the application, there is a section asking what hours and holidays you'd be willing to work. I could understand the protest if these employees had no idea that they'd be asked to work crazy hours on Black Friday, but that's not the case. "

Target only recently announced the midnight opening--doubtful many of their employees are psychic friends of Dionne Warwick.

by Anonymous

reply 89

11/15/2011

So would any shoppers support the employees by demanding Target not open early and refusing to go in for a midnight opening? Or does shopping win out?

by Anonymous

reply 90

11/15/2011

R72, the doctors, nurses, cops and firemen/women who are single parents can afford the expensive childcare costs (using an agency) on Thanksgiving if they can't/won't leave their kids with friends or family. A heart attack victim can't wait 24hrs to see a doctor but Aunt Betty put off buying her new towels for a day or two, but you know this. Would you want to ask your friends to take care of your kids on Thanksgiving while you work? I wouldn't. Do you think the families of teenage babysitters allow them to babysit on major holidays?

I worked all the major holidays in restaurants when I was younger. I loved it because it gave me an excuse to avoid family get-togethers. The single moms were always coerced into working. They needed their jobs of course. On Christmas day, one server left her 14 yr old home alone with her toddler. Another one got more and more tense as the afternoon wore on because she had to leave her young kids at her parent's house with assorted relatives who always started boozing early.

Also, depending on where you live, bus service may be slow to non-existent on holidays. Who wants to spend 1/4 of their day's earnings on taxis?

Do we live to work or work to live? Employees should be able to spend major holidays with their families if they want to. They should not have to worry about losing the best shifts, sections, whatever as pay back. They do though and they do not have the power to fight it.

by Anonymous

reply 91

11/15/2011

If Target was featured on that piece of crap series, Undercover Boss, the CEO would be shown working on Thanksgiving night. Instead, he'll be watching football while the worker ants earn him his bonus.

by Anonymous

reply 92

11/15/2011

If you ever run for an elected office, r91, I'll vote for you.

by Anonymous

reply 93

11/15/2011

Republican dilemma: Family values vs. Profit. We know which side will win...$

by Anonymous

reply 94

11/15/2011

So, what you seem to be saying R91 is that we shouldn't hire any single moms because they can't meet the requirements of the job. Duly noted.

by Anonymous

reply 95

11/15/2011

r96=dullard; always misses the point

by Anonymous

reply 97

11/16/2011

r67, the rumors about potential Thanksgiving hours and an earlier Black Friday opening have been flying around store management circles for the past several years. I've been gone about a year, and we all just crossed our fingers every autumn. I guess I left just in time. Managers knew several weeks ago, and I believe it was announced to team members around the 1st of November. My friends were dreading informing the team.

r82, it's even worse than that. Christmas cards usually go up immediately after Labor Day followed by outdoor decor & lighting a short time later. It's sick. The groans from shoppers were always hilarious. Team members would respond, "You think we WANT to be putting this stuff out while people are having barbeques???" The profit margin on that crap is amazing. Big boxes make an inordinately large percentage of their profit during 4th quarter (including Halloween). On a lot of items, they're still making a tidy profit on the 26th when that junk is 50% off. They even make out decently at 75% off.

r92, I would love to see Gregg Steinhafel on that show. His total annual compensation is $13.5 million. Would love to see him gathering carts in the parking lot on a busy Saturday. I thought Bob Ulrich was decent; he retired in early '08. The culture has changed under Steinhafel. The niche gap away from Wal-Mart is closing. The company has hemorrhaged good store level management talent over the past 3-4 years. They'll never get that talent back. Their management recruiting philosophy consists of hiring a bunch of fresh-faced 23 year olds straight out of college. They want to mold them into red shirt-wearing robots. The only problem is most of these kids have never really held down a real job in their lives and don't know diddly about customer service or the retail industry overall. Then they're quickly in over their heads, burned out, and end up leaving after a year or two. The management turnover rate is enormous. Someday soon a financial whiz in Minneapolis is going to look at a line item of how much the company is pissing away in management training and re-think the entire strategy.

It sucks that Denver is the test market for Thanksgiving Day hours of operation. Why couldn't they do that shit in Minneapolis? God forbid any of the home office bigwigs would have to drop into any stores that morning. Nope, they're too busy watching the Macy's parade and having spiced wine with relatives while the high school & college kids, soccer moms, and retirees are out peddling cheaply made Chinese shit to the masses for large profits.

by Anonymous

reply 98

11/16/2011

I think its pretty disgusting that these stores are open on Thanksgiving which for generations have been a very American holiday next to 4 of July. More and more Thanksgiving is getting shoved aside to the point that one day Thanksgiving won't exist anymore. I think these retailers are ignoring and desecrating this holiday for two factors. 1. Because the materialistic greed has soared to a staggering high and 2. Thanksgiving is being obliterated because the PC police revised history making the Pilgrims out like Nazis. I think its a fantastic and positive holiday and it has a very positive message which is the tradition of being with family and friends ,and take a look at our lives thankful we should be and fortunate.

I notice where I live, a lot, not all minorities shop on Thanksgiving because many, many immigrants nowadays really don't give a rat's ass about American holidays like they used to. However, I think the retailer's are really rotten because they know a lot of poor people rush like mad to these sales because they drop the prices to the level in which they are able to afford theses items that they normally couldn't get so easily. The stores are just playing manipulation games on the lower classes. I don't mean to sound too dramatic, but it reminds me of the film, The shoot Horses Don't they?

My mother gets astounded how materialistic Christmas has became verses when she was growing up. She said people today get into a shopping frenzy verses years ago it was just a really fun time of the year. Of course people always gave gifts ,but years ago people didn't have this frame of mind like Christmas shopping is like getting a fix on cocaine or on some other type of drug.

by Anonymous

reply 99

11/16/2011

To everyone posting that these people should be thankful to just have a job, some words from Mr. Dicken's are in order...you might recognize yourselves in them if you look in the mirror:

"Are there no prisons? And the union workhouses? Are they still in operation?...."

"No, it is not quite conveninet! It is a poor excuse to pick a man's pocket every 25th of December!"

And to all you right wing blowhards:" And as your business prospered, Ebenezer Scrooge, a golden idol took possession of your heart, as Alice said it would."

Remember folks, Mankind should be have been your business.

by Anonymous

reply 101

11/16/2011

Fuck off with your PC bullshit about the Puritans, r99. People don't get worked up over Thanksgiving because the food sucks and long before the Black Friday crap, the media was busy trying to cram loads of football down everyone's throat.

Now it's just a day for obese men to sit in front of large screen TVs while shoveling in bland carbohydrates while their equally obese wives plan the Black Friday outing. Who wants to spend the whole day with family, anyway?

by Anonymous

reply 102

11/16/2011

The economy's in the shitter, thanks mostly to Republicans, and Target is a shitty employer.

And Black Friday is a cultural shitfest that no sane person participates in.

Would that it were not so!

Nevertheless, there really are only two options, since Thanksgiving is only a week away: those Target employees who don't want to interrupt their holiday time with their families will have to quit their jobs. Perhaps they could then get hired at Wal-Mart through the end of the year.

Fortunately for Target, there are millions of unemployed people who would love to work on Thanksgiving.

by Anonymous

reply 103

11/16/2011

P.C. Richard, a 100-year-old appliance and TV chain in Metro New York runs ads every Thanksgivng saying they are closed for employees to be at home with families.

by Anonymous

reply 104

11/16/2011

In my town these same box stores close down on Easter, because they would not think of opening on the Christian/family holiday. If a day can marketed and $$ can be made, then the family holiday arguement is thrown out.

by Anonymous

reply 105

11/16/2011

Paramus, New Jersey with four major shopping centers has a "Blue Law "which prohibits everything except grocery stores from being open on Sundays. When it comes up for a vote, residents want the status quo.

People buy Monday through Saturday or go to a neighboring town. No chains have closed because of the law.

Anything you'd buy on Thanksgiving will be on the shelf the next day and until Christmas Eve.

by Anonymous

reply 106

11/16/2011

Unfortunately opening at midnight is probably the best & safest solution to Black Friday for these big box stores.

I know it sucks for the employees but I would think that opening at 12 AM is a better solution than risking being trampled by the crowd as they all run in together later in the morning.

I have been in a Black Friday crowd when the doors opened at 6 and it was like a riot.

by Anonymous

reply 107

11/16/2011

Nevermind the fact that Target always makes sure to be closed on Easter. EASTER!

Yet they can't be bothered to allow their employees ONE holiday uninterrupted with their families before they have to begin a month of retail hell.

What

The

Fuck

by Anonymous

reply 109

11/16/2011

R108 is EXACTLY what's wrong with this country.

by Anonymous

reply 110

11/16/2011

This country is really starting to scare the hell out of me. God, I really wish I was born during a different time period; I guess this is the reason I love collecting antiques. Fuck all that plastic crap from China. Buy second-hand goods because they are better for your wallet, country, and planet.

by Anonymous

reply 111

11/16/2011

Never said I did, nor would I want to run a business, R113. ESPECIALLY a retail one.

But I stand by my statement that R108 is what's wrong with this country. The typical "be thrilled that I'm giving you a job, peon. You will do whatever I want when I want, and YOUR needs be damned."

It's the same attitude corporate America has, and I absolutely loathe them and wish for its demise, hard and fast.

by Anonymous

reply 114

11/16/2011

Dang. Meant to say R110

by Anonymous

reply 115

11/16/2011

No R112, I don't do that. But keep up your fantasy life, dear.

by Anonymous

reply 116

11/16/2011

[quote]You accepted the job with full knowledge of our attendance policies AND you signed a form indicating you agreed to our policies as a condition of employment.

As did Target employees, who never imagined the company would decide at the last minute to make them work on Thanksgiving. Some of you guys don't seem to get that this schedule change came with very little notice.

by Anonymous

reply 117

11/16/2011

Black Friday will eventually become transformed. What will happen is that stores will just open all day -- whatever their business hours -- on Thursday/Thanksgiving Day.

There are no standards anymore.

by Anonymous

reply 118

11/16/2011

I feel sorry for the people who have to work at Burger King overnight (now that they're open 24 hours) or Taco Bell or whatever.

What a shitty shift.

People don't need quarter pounders at 3a anyway.

I agree with r110 & r111.

r112, I personally have never done that in my life.

And Target isn't "serving their customers needs." Customers are not demanding that they open at midnight. This was all Target's idea...to squeeze more money out of their shoppers.

by Anonymous

reply 120

11/16/2011

R111 = you love "collecting antiques" because you are a QUEEN. Own it.

by Anonymous

reply 121

11/16/2011

Holiday pay? That would be at most, a dollar more an hour. Not to mention they start workers at minimum wage. No one is meaner to their workers, then Target. Even Walmart shows some kindness...at least part of their workers get health insurance. Find any Target employees who get health insurance, only management.

by Anonymous

reply 122

11/16/2011

Working as a slave...not making enough to keep a roof over your head, no, it is not better then having no job at all. It really just kills your soul. At this point in our history, Scrooge is thought of as a good guy.

by Anonymous

reply 123

11/16/2011

The 1% have us exactly where they want us...begging for their shitty jobs.

by Anonymous

reply 124

11/16/2011

Ah...you know if you are going to work your ass off all night long...you have to find some time to sleep, the day before. That cuts into your holiday. For christ fucking sake! People have a right to a holiday.

by Anonymous

reply 125

11/16/2011

Try being a nurse.

My first year I had to work from 8a to 8:30p on Thanksgiving, 8a to 8:30p on Christmas Eve, then from 8a to 8:30 p Christmas Day because I was the lowest on the totem poll and had no seniority.

After that, I had to work on either Christmas Eve or Christmas day and either on New Year's Eve or New Years Day. And I worked Thanksgiving every other year.

I lived 3 hours from my family, so it was a washout. After working 12 and half hours, it didn't seem worthwhile to drive 3 hours just to say, "Merry Christmas" as everyone was going to bed.

by Anonymous

reply 126

11/16/2011

Sick people have to be cared for...no way around it. People do NOT have to shop at midnight.

by Anonymous

reply 127

11/16/2011

[quote]No one is meaner to their workers, then Target.

Says the queen who can't put together a simple English sentence.

by Anonymous

reply 129

11/16/2011

Toys R Us opens at 9pm on Thanksgiving day. I don't doubt that Thanksgiving will soon no longer be considered a day of rest for employees. In fact, it already gets passed over for holiday decor... stores go straight from Halloween to Christmas.

by Anonymous

reply 130

11/16/2011

No, they aren't, r132. The corporations invented "Black Friday".

by Anonymous

reply 133

11/16/2011

[quote] No, they aren't

Who is "they"? And "they aren't" what?

by Anonymous

reply 134

11/16/2011

[quote]This is the society we live in. Blame the assholes who go shopping at midnight, not the retailers who accomodate them. The consumers are the ones fueling this nonsense.

I don't get it. Did consumers announce that Target stores would be opening on Thanksgiving Day at midnight? Did consumers deluge Target with demands that their stores had to open at that time?

I don't doubt shoppers will show up because Target will provide the incentive for them to do so, but it was Target that made the decision to open.

A bunch of executives sat around conference tables and made this decision.

by Anonymous

reply 136

11/16/2011

Target made the decision because other stores had been opening at midnight on Black Friday and doing well, with lots of sales. And sales are what it is all about.

If nobody shows up at midnight, then Target won't do it again.

I wouldn't set foot in any store on Black Friday. But the stores don't miss me. They've got plenty of others who will.

People make their own decisions.

by Anonymous

reply 139

11/16/2011

But if Target doesn't open the doors at midnight on Thanksgiving, the customers will come another time.

I have never participated in any of the Black Friday shopping events. I imagine they're pretty awful. I'm not a well-trained consumer.

by Anonymous

reply 141

11/16/2011

[quote] It IS better than having no job at all.

No, it's not. I would rather die sleeping in the cold on the streets than to ever work for a soul-sucking retail corporation.

by Anonymous

reply 142

11/16/2011

[quote] If customers are rattling your doors at 6 am to get in and spend money---you open the fucking doors.

No. You tell the stupid assholes to go back to bed and shop a a civilized hour.

by Anonymous

reply 144

11/16/2011

If you're old enough, you'll remember retail employees objected even more strongly when stores started opening on Sundays. In my neck of the woods, we still get news stories every few years about some local retailer finally buckling under and adding Sunday hours -- and the focus is always on the employees who think it's unfair for them to have to work on "the Lord's Day."

Somehow I think DLers wouldn't be as sympathetic to them as they are to these Target folks.

by Anonymous

reply 145

11/16/2011

R146, I am very pretty and I have never worked in retail. I'm also not a very good consumer. If I want to buy something, I do careful research beforehand. I don't buy junk and throw it away so I can buy more junk.

I would never buy electronics from a big box store.

by Anonymous

reply 146

11/16/2011

r145 If you live in Bergen County, NJ the stores are still closed on Sunday. Of course, you don't want to be anywhere near there on a Saturday because it's total gridlock, but I like the fact that Sunday is put aside for other things. Businesses have tried for years to overturn that blue law, but to no avail. Thank God...

by Anonymous

reply 147

11/16/2011

R126,

You make me glad I'm not a nurse. (No offense.) Are you still in that profession?

by Anonymous

reply 148

11/16/2011

Why are people so easily manipulated? Why the hell would you insist on going shopping on Thanksgiving evening? Why do people keep to their old Black Friday traditions anyway? Why would you want to be in a packed store and standing in line?

by Anonymous

reply 149

11/16/2011

Never done the whole 'Black Friday' thing. I do the Amazon version where they put certain items cheaply on sale every day or so. I do that from the comfort of my own home.

by Anonymous

reply 150

11/17/2011

Would anyone really go out on Turkey Day evening to shop? Everyone in my family sits around and groans and sleeps from all the food plus the wine is flowing. We eat around 2 or 3 and then most of us will go to bed fairly early.

by Anonymous

reply 151

11/17/2011

You can't place the blame entirely on the consumers. It was businesses that saw how well Black Friday was doing and decided to open up early. I believe it was Walmart who took it upon themselves to open "earlier than the rest" at midnight, thus starting this insane frenzy.

Granted, the people who choose to shop during these hours should be held responsible. But there was not a public demand for stores to be open on Thanksgiving Day. These businesses did it themselves. They are accountable for their own actions.

This freeper-esque "It's all the working people's fault" isn't cutting it anymore. It's the same excuse Wall Street gave for the economy tanking. It's simply an excuse to let corporations do whatever the fuck they want as the US moves closer to a third world country. And an excuse for greed at the hands of the working class "slobs".

by Anonymous

reply 152

11/17/2011

The employees are naive; signing the petition just put's them on the chain's blacklist. This midnight opening was planned months ago -- the commercial they're running was carefully constructed.

On why do the Black Friday madness? Don't know about elsewhere, but in the NYC tri-state area shopping is a contact sport to begin with, on a par with Giants football. This just takes it to MMA level. It's the challenge.

by Anonymous

reply 155

11/17/2011

From an article about Target and other retailers:

"Ellen Davis, a vice president for the National Retail Federation, pointed out that other workers â including movie theater and some restaurant employees â already work that holiday.

'Their employees aren't up in arms about it," she said. "It's almost ironic that on Thanksgiving, people are complaining about having a job.'"

You know, people can generally be thankful for what they have, like a job, and still want to improve their lot, whether it be working conditions or anything else.

The "just be thankful that you have a job" meme is complete bullshit. That idea can be stretched continuously and used as an answer whenever someone protests to anything work related - low pay, dangerous conditions, horrible working conditions, sexual harassment, and on and on.

It's so fucking sad that people think that just because people want to do better for themselves that they are necessarily unthankful in a broader sense.

It's a perfect idea for keeping people down, basically encapsulating the notion that no worker has a right to ever protest anything work-related because, after all, they have a job.

I'm NOT saying that retail employees (who know the pitfalls of retail work, including crazy work schedules) having to work an especially early Black Friday shift is the biggest injustice in the world. But, I see no reason why they shouldn't speak up if they feel it is an issue. I guarantee that the "just be thankful" people who dismiss the Black Friday issue would answer "just be thankful" to any work-related issue, no matter all serious.

It's exactly what corporate dominated government wants. People who don't protest, who are "just thankful" to be employed.

by Anonymous

reply 156

11/18/2011

that should have been "no matter how serious."

by Anonymous

reply 157

11/18/2011

"Maybe corporate America sucks, but we live in a country where the majority of us don't live in cardboard huts and aren't required to walk a mile for dirty drinking water."

No, a good portion only live in Cardboard boxes and have to stand on lines for food in shelters.

And we're not talking about Black Friday, we're talking about THANKSGIVING. A holiday.

No retail stores should be open on Thanksgiving. End of story.

by Anonymous

reply 159

11/18/2011

Do you suppose Europeans spend 20% of their 3 week long vacations just laughing at retarded Americans?

It's total horseshit that Target is doing this, it's even more shitty that people say things like "People should just be thankful that they have a job."

by Anonymous

reply 161

11/18/2011

I just drove by a KMart thus morning. They will be open from 6am-9pm on Thanksgiving. The idiocy never stops.

by Anonymous

reply 164

11/18/2011

R 158/Jonathan, perhaps you didn't get hired due to reading comprehension issues? You don't seem to recognize that the Target employees had NO IDEA that they'd have to work on Thanksgiving or midnight on Black Friday.

Also, I know it lets you sleep at night, but the myth of not being hired because you are over-qualified is just that, a myth. You need to seriously examine your resume and interviewing skills if you're still unemployed.

by Anonymous

reply 165

11/19/2011

They should form a Union!

by Anonymous

reply 166

11/19/2011

[quote] If we worked with any other retailer he would have to be there at midnight because almost every retailer is opening up that early this year.

Really? Because I've not seen the ads for JC Penney, Macys, Big Lots, Ross, Marshalls, Kohl's, TJ Maxx, Bloomingdales, Barnes & Noble and a host of others opening at midnight.

by Anonymous

reply 168

11/21/2011

If he has to leave in the middle of dinner to be at Target for a midnight opening, what time would he have to leave in order to be there for a 6 a.m. opening?

by Anonymous

reply 170

11/14/2012

Since this post was from last year and back then, the Targets all opened early, I assume their protest went nowhere. In fact, I understand that this year, the opening will be earlier still. This seems to be because they think they can make more money by doing so, or else try to recoup losses that Black Friday creates in the labor costs.

After reading that McDs suffered its first monthly loss in years, I am wondering if this year, we will see huge crowds at the store for only an hour or so after the opening, and then most shoppers will disappear, as in the past few years.

by Anonymous

reply 171

11/14/2012

I agree with you, JO @ R169, and I'm sorry about this. Last year. And, even though I've been sick and not paying attention, this year too if applicable. (My e-mail has had Black Friday ads. I haven't looked at any of them. I'm in no mood. And I personally have little or no use for them.)

Starting up with Black Friday right at midnight has ruined the concept to the point they may as well be ruining All Day Thanksgiving Day too. (That will be next.) It's repulsive. It's an example why greed is not good.

by Anonymous

reply 172

11/14/2012

Can we PLEASE start to F&F people who bump year old threads???

by Anonymous

reply 173

11/14/2012

They will find away to get rid of you r166 if they hear the rumor of a union. -per family Target employee

by Anonymous

reply 174

11/14/2012

I don't think Target is QUITE as bad as some of the other retailers (Wal-Mart, Best Buy etc....) I actually heard, that they just recently did this midnight madness thing, while other retailers started a couple years earlier, and last year they only schedualed volunteers who wanted to work.

With that said however, it is a shame that these retailers are opening up earlier and earlier and taking quality Thanksgiving time away from families. I spoke to an employee yesterday that said she has to have Thanksgiving dinner at 2:00 so she can be at work at 9:00 Thanksgiving night.

Nothing wrong with Target and other companies trying to make a buck (after all, they are there to make money) HOWEVER, they still have over 360 days to make money...They do NOT need to open overnight and steal quality Thanksgiving time away from thier employees. Basically these retailer shops that are opening up as early as 8:00 (or even midnight) Thanksgiving night are telling thier employees to "Fuck Off"

by Anonymous

reply 175

11/21/2012

R168, Big Lots is open all day on Thanksgiving and has been for years.

by Anonymous

reply 176

11/21/2012

Fact of the matter is Target isn't in business to employ people, they are in business to make money; like was mentioned before, there are a ton of people that would step up and take the job if you don't want it

by Anonymous

reply 177

11/22/2012

I read last year that over 60% of the purchases done on Black Friday were returned within 3 days. Many people are caught up in purchasing items they don't need or can't afford. I wonder how profitable Black Friday is for retailers since most of the items are returned later.

by Anonymous

reply 178

11/22/2012

Maybe this has been mentioned upthread (I'm too full to check). But many online retailers were "open" today and those folks had to work. If it's optional (with holiday pay), that seems good (I'd work on a holiday if the price were right). But if it's mandatory, then it's the perpetuation of our classist society.

by Anonymous

reply 179

11/22/2012

I'm not going tomorrow, no way!

by Anonymous

reply 181

11/22/2012

2 hours till midnight, folks!

by Anonymous

reply 182

11/22/2012

I can understand why people would not want to work on such a day, unless they wore Kevlar:

by Anonymous

reply 183

11/23/2012

This

Thread

Is

A

Year

Old

by Anonymous

reply 184

11/23/2012

I have to work today mandantory OT the only reason is corporate greed...

Targets actually opened at 9:00 this year. I bet the protest lady is even more pissed (if they didn't fire her).

by Anonymous

reply 186

11/23/2012

Did anyone DARE go to Walmart today?

by Anonymous

reply 187

11/23/2012

r187, I actually dropped in a Walmart on my way home from a Thanksgiving dinner party last night, around 11:30 (they opened at 8:00, so I wasn't fearful). I snagged a $9.44 Mr. Coffee & some Spot Shot to do some carpet touch-up today. Didn't want to have to run out on Black Friday. The coffeemaker is for me, as my 8-year old free Gevalia died recently. I walked right up to a cashier; she was very nice. Only my second visit to a Walmart in 2012, which is one above my average. Even once is probably too much, but I just didn't feel like spending much on a damn coffeemaker. My backup plan was a $19.99 Bella at Macy's with a $10 mail-in rebate. Glad I didn't have to step foot in a mall.

by Anonymous

reply 188

11/23/2012

Those stores won't give the store employees, insurance or sick time or vacation time or a living wage. So I seldom ever shop there. Some people think I'm stupid for not shopping at Walmart.

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